Granite Peaks and Autumn Colors

My college roommate Bruce and I are both into hiking and outdoor stuff, so Huangshan had been on our list for a while. We finally booked the trip and flew in.

Our first stop was Huangling Village. We took the cable car up the hill, and the view just opened up. The village sat on the slope, with grey and white houses packed closely together, their tiled roofs rising and falling like waves. It was autumn, so the villagers had laid out bright red chili peppers, golden corn, and orange persimmons on large bamboo trays on their roofs and balconies. The whole place looked like a colorful patchwork quilt. We walked through the narrow alleys, past drying racks and old stone walls, and found a spot overlooking the valley. Bruce pulled out his phone and started taking photos from every angle. He said it looked like a painting, and honestly he wasn't wrong. We had lunch at a small local restaurant, simple home style food, and then took the cable car back down.

The next morning we drove to Huangshan Scenic Area. We took another cable car up the mountain, and this time the landscape changed completely. Massive granite peaks rose up around us, their grey faces streaked with dark lines, and pine trees clung to the cliffs at impossible angles. We started hiking along the ridge, and the paths were steep with lots of stairs. Bruce was in his element, bounding up the steps while I had to stop every now and then to catch my breath. We explored the Beihai Scenic Area first, walking past famous peaks with names like Lion Peak and Flower Peak. The clouds kept rolling in and out, hiding the views one moment and revealing them the next. One second you could see the whole valley, and the next it was just white mist swirling around the rocks.

In the afternoon we hiked into the Xihai Grand Canyon. This was more challenging, with narrow paths hugging the cliffs and long stairways going down and up. We had to watch our steps carefully, but the views were worth it. The canyon stretched out below us, with jagged peaks and deep ravines, and the wind howled through the gaps. We made it to the bottom and then took a small train back up, because hiking back the same way would have been too much. We stayed overnight at a hotel on the mountain top, which was basic but cozy. The staff warned us to wake up early for sunrise.

We got up at 5am the next day and walked to a viewing platform. It was cold and dark, and Bruce was shivering in his thin jacket, but we waited. Then the sun started to come up. The peaks below us were still covered in mist, and the first rays of sunlight turned everything golden and pink. The clouds glowed from underneath, and the mountains looked like they were floating in a sea of light. Bruce didn't take any photos this time. He just stood there and watched. We went down the mountain after that and drove to Hongcun.

Hongcun was a quiet village with old white walled houses and a pond in the middle. The pond reflected the surrounding buildings and the hills behind them, making everything look symmetrical and calm. There was a small bridge arching over the water, and we saw art students sitting along the edge with their sketchbooks. Bruce said it looked like a good place to retire. We walked through the village lanes and stopped at a small shop selling local tea. The owner brewed us a cup and we sat there sipping it, watching villagers go about their day.

We headed to the airport in the afternoon. Bruce was still talking about the sunrise on Huangshan, saying he wanted to come back and hike the rest of the trails. I told him I would be up for it, as long as I got to take the cable car down.